THE AFM AS A TOOL FOR SURFACE IMAGING

The atomic force microscope was introduced in 1986 as a new instrument for examining the surface of insulating crystals. There was a clear implication in the first paper that it was capable of resolving single atoms. Unambiguous evidence for atomic resolution with the AFM did not appear until 1993. In the intervening years the AFM evolved into a mature instrument that provides us with new insights in the fields of surface science, electrochemistry, biology and the technology. In this paper we will discuss the evolution of this new high resolution microscope and describe some of the events that led up to the present state-of-the-art instrument.